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03 July 2016

Make or Break Time

I have reached the end of Year Two in my still-new-but-no-longer-shiny district job. This spring was a killer, as at one point, I was attempting not only my own job, but covering for two other people. One of those jobs remained open for three months, so I have done little else this spring other than something work-related.

As I prepared for a week off on Friday, it was incredibly difficult to not bring home work. There were several times during the day where I had to stop myself from making a list or moving some files to a thumb drive. I kept reminding myself that the work would still be there when I got back. And after three months of putting my personal life on hold, it's okay to take a whole week just for me. Maybe I can remember what I like to do and be.

There is never a year in education where things are the same as the previous one. There are always staff changes, new kids, curriculum, or responsibilities. And the coming year will be no different for me. I have supported the district CTE program over the last two years, but no more. I love the intent of CTE--there are great pathways, passionate teachers, and amazing students. From a district-level role, however, it is nothing but tedious meetings and paperwork. The largest waste of time is trying to deal with the state-level program officers, who seem to love to play all sorts of games. When I think about never having to deal with those people again, it feels like an enormous weight is lifted. I realize that is a very sad comment on what should be a very exciting opportunity for our kids.

So, I will "just" focus on data and assessment this year. Here is one look at why the change in job assignment is needed:

Over the last 20 years, state assessment has changed a lot. During the 2015 - 16 school year represented above, the upper timeline is for general education students...and the bottom one for special education students. Other than the last four days of school, there was not a single day this year that didn't include at least one assessment window. This does not mean that there are children sitting down with bubble sheets every day or that every child takes every assessment. That isn't the case at all. But purely from a district responsibility perspective, there is a lot to track. Oh, and none of the district assessments (DIBELS, CogAT...) are represented on this timeline. Not to mention all the data generated here, plus other data tasks related to programs. I won't be bored.

I suppose that makes it all the more important to just be me this week. Frankly, it's been so long since I had that opportunity that I have forgotten who I am if I am not working. If nothing else, I can take some deep breaths before submerging into another year.